strathspey@strathspey.org:27729

Peter Hastings

Cribs

Oct. 4, 2001, 10:53 a.m. (Message 27729)

As one of a small group of Strathspeyers looking at the vexed question of
cribs I would like to make a few observations.

As Malcolm noted, different people have different ways of remembering what
they need to to dance a particular dance. Some work with patterns and for
them a visual aide-memoire like Pillings may be the most useful. Others work
with sequential series of instructions and for them either a written or
spoken re-cap is more suitable.

Cribs are provided at dances for those whom they suit. They may well not be
written in a way which suits you, even if you are one of those who prefers a
written re-cap. The terminology may be different, or particular points in
the dance may be emphasised when the difficult point in the dance, for you,
is not highlighted. In such a case it is not only polite, but better for you
and those with whom you dance for you to use your own notes. The use of the
supplied cribs is not mandatory - they are simply offered for the assistance
of those who have nothing else.

The obvious solution to unintelligible cribs is, as some have suggested, to
produce a standard crib terminology in the same way that Pilling has a
standard lexicon of symbols. Such a solution has the same drawback as has
Pillings - if the 'standard' doesn't suit you then you won't use it.

The next section needs to be in capitals.

Cribs are personal aides-memoires. They should be written, after having
danced the dance in question, by the person who will have to use the crib.
Other people may find them useful or not.

End capitals.

A spoken briefing will cater for those who best take in information aurally.
All three forms are needed if the largest number of folk are going to do the
dance succesfully. If all three are used, certain consequences result:

	Those who brief can't get snotty with those who appear to be reading
while they are re-capping. You may think they're not paying attention to the
dance 	but really they're just not paying attention to you.

	People who are reading (words or pictures) during the re-cap need to
shut up so that the briefing can be heard.

Simple, isn't it ?

Peter Hastings
Royal Observatory
Edinburgh
:)